The Charlottesville Symphony directed by Benjamin Rous performed “British Riches” February 15-16, 2020. The program included a variety of 20th Century UK composers. The relative rarity of the works (at least on this side of the Atlantic) made this a refreshing and engaging concert. George Butterworth’s “A Shropshire Lad” opened the program. This symphonic rhapsody […]
charlottesville symphony
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Charlottesville Symphony dazzles with contemporary work
The Charlottesville Symphony that opened its 2019-20 season was not the same ensemble as last year’s. About a third of the musicians were new to the orchestra, including two new principal players. Although new, the symphony seemed to retain the weaknesses and strengths of its former self. The first work of the evening, Mozart’s Symphony No. 32 […]
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Charlottesville Symphony Season Ends Energetically
The final concert of the Charlottesville Symphony’s 2018-19 season started slowly and finished in triumph. It was quite a journey. The Saturday, April 24th concerto opened with Wagner’s Prelude from “Parsifal.” This is a quiet, introspective work that uses silence as an important element. The orchestra played beautifully, achieving a shimmering quality in some passages. […]
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Charlottesville Symphony Thrill with Bartok and Mendelssohn
Bela Bartok’s Violin Concerto No. 2 is a challenging work for both soloist and ensemble. Audiences were treated to a fine performance by violinist Joseph Lin, maestro Benjamin Rous, and the Charlottesville Symphony March 23 and 24th, 2019. Lin possessed all the technical ability necessary for this difficult piece. He played with a clean, pure […]
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Charlottesville Symphony – A triumph and a crowd-pleaser
The Charlottesville Symphony brought the audience to its feet twice Saturday evening. The first time was for an artistic triumph, the second time was for a crowd-pleaser. The orchestra, under the direction of guest conductor Damon Gupton, opened the program with Rossini’s Overture to “Semiramide.” At first, I was a little concerned. The overture starts […]
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Charlottesville Symphony combines the unusual and the inspired
Two things I really enjoy in a concert: unusual repertoire, and inspired performances. I enjoyed both in the opening concert for the Charlottesville Symphony. York Bowen’s Concerto in C minor for Viola and Orchestra constituted the unusual. Viola concertos are relatively rare, and British composer Bowen is seldom heard on this side of the Atlantic. […]
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Charlottesville Symphony Gives Rock-Solid Performances of Other-Worldly Music
The final concert of the 2017-18 season was nothing short of a triumph – at least the performance I attended Saturday, April 28. The two works on the program were separated by almost a century. And yet, in some ways, they weren’t that far apart stylistically. Kaija Saariaho’s 2002 “Orion” made up the first half […]